New York Jets: Monday Night is Put Up or Shut Up for Wideouts

By Harrison Turkheimer

Number 3 and Number 4 are now Number 1 and Number 2 come Monday Night

With the news that came across the wire this morning that both Jeremy Kerley and Clyde Gates will be the starting wide receivers for the New York Jets this Monday Night against the Atlanta Falcons, I almost passed out. After coming to, I then realized this may not be so bad after all.

When you look at this receiving corps, Santonio Holmes is hurt and will milk his injury all season until he is no longer in Green and White, while Stephen Hill has BUST written all over him. So, then the question is, where’s that lead the Jets for the remainder of the 2013 campaign. They have a solid running game and a pretty decent tight end, but the wideouts to stretch the field are the key to Geno Smith’s short-term success to build on for 2014. My readers know the idea of Marquis Lee for next year’s draft, but again, that’s next year.

Do I think that Gates and Kerley can carry the load? Not really. Do I think they can show their worth? 100 percent ! Kerley has shown since he started with the Jets, that he is a viable option (more or less on third down). Gates, on the other hand, hasn’t shown he’s worth wearing No. 19 (previously Keyshawn Johnson in Green and White) with multiple dropped balls and poor route running. That doesn’t mean that on a Monday night, under the lights “when it all comes down to Monday,” one of these guys can’t step up and prove their ultimate worth. Can they play smart football? The type of football that got this team to back-to-back AFC Championship games. Mistake free, ground and pound, simple and smart!

Smith has taken reps with both players throughout camp and into the regular season, therefore, I believe he is comfortable. Basically, the bottom line here is that this is a chance for both of them to show that they are capable of being a solid No. 1 (more likely a true No. 2) in a league where you can lose your job quicker than you can say Tshimanga Biakabutuka.